I walked away from the main branch of the USPS empty-handed this year, after more than 15 years of giving to underprivileged children through the USPS letters to Santa program. It hasn’t been shut down, but there are now (comparatively) severe new rules for participating. The reason – child sex offenders were using it to hunt for prey. The new rules aren’t outrageous, the cause is still very worthy, and I’m 100% in support of protecting the kids, but the program now bears little resemblance to the one that resonated with me so personally year after year.
Once slow to embrace the power of networking to create business opportunities, I now unleashed it full-force in my determination to find a more personal way to give back. One conversation led to another and another, and before long, to a guidance counselor in a nearby town’s high school. The guidance counselor told me about a 16-year old who is living in a rented room to get away from drug-abuser parents, working two part-time jobs to support herself, and determined to finish school – but she doesn’t always have enough to eat, or warm clothes to wear. Until now.
I don’t think I ever really understood the saying “when one door closes, another door opens,” until just a few days ago. Now that’s networking!
